Goatherd, Goats on Road near Carriage and House n.d.

Bruno van Straaten’s drawing shows a goatherd and goats on a road near a carriage and house. Here, the goats are a dominant visual symbol. In Western art history, goats have complex and shifting meanings. In classical antiquity, they were associated with fertility and the god Pan, embodying wild, untamed nature. This symbolism evolved through the medieval period, where the goat became linked with the demonic, representing the wild. We see goats associated with witchcraft and pagan rituals, symbolizing the rejection of Christian values. Now, in the context of this drawing, the goat seems to revert to its earlier, bucolic associations with nature, fertility, and the simple life, a nostalgic counterpoint to urban life. These animals evoke deep, subconscious associations rooted in cultural memory, engaging viewers with the powerful, primal imagery, even today. This symbol continues its cyclical journey, reappearing in new contexts, demonstrating how symbols evolve, and adapt through time, carrying traces of our cultural past into the present.